Steamers are used in the food service industry to treat bread and bread-type products prior to being served. When steam impregnates a bread-type food product, such as a sandwich roll, the steam tends to soften the bread product making the bread product seem fresher.
Steamers include both boiler-type steamers as well as flash steamers in which a volume of water is deposited or sprayed onto a hot surface, which “flashes” or converts the water to steam. A small, fixed amount of water is delivered onto a hot, dry surface which causes the water to be quickly boiled off and turned into steam.
A problem with prior art steamers is the removal of a food product after it has been steamed or cooked. Since many restaurants sell food products in specialized packages, it would be advantageous for a food product steamer to be able to steam a food product as well as dispense or serve the food product into a package in which the food product will be sold.